The Banquet

Year of Production

2003

Into the loop;
From single cells
To things in shells;
From hoola hoops
To pressure groups;
The story has just begun it isn’t over”
Richard Strange

Drawing comparisons between Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest and the British social order, The Banquet stirs the cauldron of Evolutionary Theory while exposing a whole range of time-honoured social rituals that fall somewhere between the cradle and the grave.

Ball-gowned and tuxedo-clad guests morph from personifications of polite sophistication to feasting beasts and back again, overseen by their ever-so English butler.

Running time: 70 minutes

#TheBanquet #ProteinDance

Reviews

“This is daring, potent dance theatre, a carnival of the bizarre that travels from innocence to nightmare, the playful to the horrific in effortless turns. A widely successful union of choreography and direction.”
The Stage
"The Banquet is entertaining, funny and intelligent...The movement and dialogue, allied to a well-considered scenario, produce dance theatre at its best."
The Independent
"The Banquet is witty and surreal dance-theatre, constructed rather like a Pina Bausch work in miniature."
The Sunday Times
".....fast paced and larky..."
The Evening Standard
4 people in the front with one person dress all in white behind. In the front two man dresses in suits. A woman dressed in a party dress and a man dressed in a yellow boa holding champaign glasses.

Production Credits

Conceived and Directed by
Devised and performed by
Design by
Soundtrack compiled and curated by
Music by
Song lyrics by
Costume design by
Lighting design by
Soundtrack engineered and mixed by
Scenery built by
Set painted by
Hills sculpted by
Production & Technical Manager
Technical Team
Marketing & Press
Design by
Photos by
Commissioned by

Tour History

Phoenix Arts Centre, Leicester

12 Febuary 2004

Newcastle Playhouse

10 February 2004

Riley Theatre, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds

7 February 2004

Arc Theatre, Trowbridge

5 February 2004

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

31 January 2004 presented with Dance Base

Mumford Theatre, Cambridge

29 January 2004 part of BDE

Dundee Rep, Dundee

24 January 2004

Trinity Laban, London

15 January 2004

Kulturhallen Dampfzentrale, Bern, Switzerland

9 & 10 January 2004 presented by Tanz@DZ

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

30 October 2003

Neptune Theatre, Liverpool

25 October 2003 presented by MDI

Gateway Theatre, Chester

16 October 2003

Lyceum, Sheffield Theatres, Sheffield

14 October 2003 presented by Danceworks

Darlington Arts Centre, Darlington

9 October 2003

Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds

7 October 2003

Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome, Brighton

1 October 2003

Mumford Theatre, Cambridge

29 September 2003 presented by The Junction

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

27 September 2003

Charter Theatre, Preston

21 May 2003

Arts Theatre, University of Bath, Bath

17 May 2003

The Place, London

10-14 May 2003

Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham

15 May 2003 presented by DanceXchnage

Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts, Nottingam

10 May 2003 presented by Dance4 as part of NOTT Dance Festival

South Hill Park, Bracknell

6 May 2003

You May Also Like…

Production

Dear Body

Production

LOL (lots of love)

Production

May Contain Food